Assembly Elections Unlikely in Jammu and Kashmir in Near Future

The reports sent, on the pending Lok Sabha bye-elections in Anantnag, by the chief secretary of the state to the Election Commission states the situation in the South Kashmir seat is currently not conducive for holding elections.

File photo of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. (PTI)

Loading...

New Delhi:The Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir may not be held any time soon as the state prepares for a stint of Governor's rule.

A report sent by chief secretary of the state to the Election Commission on the pending Lok Sabha bye-elections in Anantnag states the situation in the South Kashmir seat is currently not conducive for holding elections.

The seat had fallen vacant after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti resigned from the Lok Sabha after her father Mufti Mohammad Syed's death and took over as the CM of the state.

By-elections in the constituency have been pending for more than two years now.

The main opposition party in the valley, National Conference has demanded that the Assembly be dissolved and elections in the state be held at the earliest after the fall of the Mehbooba Mufti government.

Congress, however, is in favour of a short stint of Governor's rule for situation to normalise before elections are announced.

The six year term of the current Assembly ends in March, 2021, and the Assembly under Governor's rule has been kept under suspended animation after the BJP withdrew support to the PDP led coalition government on Tuesday.

The by-elections to the Srinagar LS seat held last year also saw a very low turnout, in single digit.

Last year in May, the Election Commission had indefinitely postponed Anantnag bypolls after low turnout and violence witnessed Srinagar elections.

Catch the biggest newsmakers and the biggest newsbreaks on CNN-News18, the only news destination. Keep watching CNN-News18 at just 50 paise per month. Contact your cable/DTH operator now!